Arsenal have been criticised for submitting an 'extortionate' £105million transfer offer to sign West Ham captain Declan Rice. The Gunners submitted a club-record transfer offer for Rice on Tuesday night, football.london understands.
Manchester City pulled out of the race to sign the 24-year-old after seeing a £90million bid turned down by the Hammers. Reports have stated that Rice has now been given the green light to complete a medical ahead of a £105million move to the Emirates Stadium with the two clubs finalising details regarding payment structure.
Arsenal's offer proposed the guaranteed portion of the fee be paid over the course of four years. West Ham ideally want the cash paid in two instalments by the start of 2025. But the issue has been described as minor and not a point that will see the deal collapse, with both clubs now working towards reaching an agreement rather than haggling over the price.
Former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Jamie O’Hara has told Grosvenor Sport that Arsenal’s bid for Rice is "extortionate", suggesting that only 'match winners' are worth a nine-figure transfer fee. O'Hara said: "Do I think £105million for a centre-midfield player like Declan Rice is right? No - I think it’s crazy.
"Someone like Erling Haaland or Kylian Mbappe is worth £105million, because they’re match winners who are going to win you trophies and turn up in big moments. I think Declan Rice is an amazing football player, but I also think £105million is extortionate.
"That’s just the way the market’s gone – an English midfielder who plays for his country and has just won the Europa Conference League, you’re going to be worth a lot of money. It’s ridiculous the money teams are paying these days."
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Despite reportedly being on the verge of joining the Gunners, O’Hara suggested that the West Ham captain would have joined Manchester City if Pep Guardiola’s side matched Arsenal’s bid. "If both clubs agreed a fee, even if City offered him less money, he’d still go to Man City," he added.
"He’s guaranteed to win trophies and he’s guaranteed to become a better player under Pep Guardiola, it’s as simple as that. Nobody can compete with Manchester City – they’re too good with Guardiola there, they’ve got too much money and they’ve got too many players there.
"If Manchester City come in and say, ‘Ilkay Gundogan’s gone and there’s a space available, come and play for the treble winners and the best manager ever,’ there’s only one place Rice would go."
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